November 28, 2006

Estonia to raise import ban with Brussels

TALLINN - The head of the Estonian veterinary and food authority will raise the issue of a Russian ban on fish imports at a meeting of European chief veterinary officials in Brussels on Nov. 28.On Nov. 24 Russia unexpectedly closed its border checkpoints to shipments of fish through Estonia, citing problems relating to forged documents and illegal trade.Estonia's fish exports to Russia consist mostly of frozen sprat and Baltic herring. The export to Russia are worth 500 million EEK (EUR 32 mln) a year, and accounts for about one-fifth of total fish exports.As the embargo concerns all European Union member states, the matter should be addressed by the bloc's executive Commission, director general of the Veterinary and Food Board Ago Partel told BNS.Estonia has sent an official diplomatic note to Russia asking for further explanations about the ban, and the Estonian veterinary authority has sent an official inquiry about the restrictions to the Russian veterinary agency.